Take a look at me now
by XxShOrTiExX
Summary: AU! Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes and she meets Angel! BANGLE GOODNESS!
1. Changes

_**This is my first EVER AU story so please let me know what you think! Don't hurt me if it's bad! Runs away and hides**_

_**Disclaimer **– I do not own any of the characters from Buffy or Angel, if I did they would be together and happy! I do own Bandit though so don't nick him! The title of the story is 'take a look at me now' also known as 'against all odds' by Maria Carey although it has been song by others! So I don't own the name so don't sue me!_

_**Pairings** – B/A, W/O, X/A, C/D._

_**Distribution** – You want, you have as long as you tell me where it is going!_

_**Feedback **– Yep all reviews are welcome. They keep me writing! I love reviewers:D_

_**Summary** - Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes! **BANGLE GOODNESS!** _

_**So review and enjoy!**_

* * *

Buffy Summers is an eightyear old with gorgeous blonde hair and striking green eyes. She lives with her parents on the outskirts of London in England, where her father, Hank, is a top businessman and known by most. Her mother, Joyce, owns her own gallery, which brings in a fair amount of money. Money wise they couldn't be better due to Hanks income but Buffy never got to spend anytime with her parents. Sometimes they were too busy to even say a simple greeting to her in the mornings. She didn't mind though, she was extremely shy so didn't mind being on her own. She taught herself how to get herself food like cereal and look after herself at an early age. She didn't cook at all because she when she tried for the first time she ended up with a bad burn which had left a tiny scar on her hand.

* * *

Buffy yawned and looked at her clock beside her bed. It was seven in the morning on a Sunday. She was used to getting up early, it became a habit since she had to wake herself up when she had school. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the blurriness and looked around her room for signs of Bandit but she couldn't see him. 

Her room huge and was decorated with pink and white wallpaper. She had a bed like a princesses with a drape surrounding it. There were more toys than you could count even though she had never once asked for a toy in her life. She had a walkthrough wardrobe with hundreds of outfits, chosen by her mum, even though she hardly wore any of them. She had a bookshelf with a few of her favourite books and some photos of her and her family. There was also one of her Cocker Spaniel, Bandit, as a puppy. She got all the things a girl would wish for but she never got the one single thing she wanted...love.

She wandered wearily downstairs dragging with her Mr.Gordo her favourite toy pig. Neither of her parents was home so she poured herself some cereal, poured in some milk and began eating. She washed up after herself and went and watched some cartoons on the television with Bandit curled up next to her.

She spent the rest of the day reading, doing her homework and playing with Bandit. When she heard her parents coming up the drive at about ten at night she ran upstairs with Bandit at her heel. They were always moody when they got home and she found it best to stay out of their way.

She listened to what her parents were saying from the top of the stairs hugging her golden, faithful friend.

"What do you mean you lost everything? How can you lose 1.5 million dollars?" She could hear her Mum shouting. Her dad was the one who usually shouted, it scared her when they both were.

"I got drunk and I fucking lost it. It is not my fault, we will just have to move somewhere a little smaller, we still have plenty of money from your gallery." Buffy could see his face turning three different shades of red from anger.

"So you are going to live of **my** money," she emphasized the word 'my'. "And what about our daughter. She will have to move school and lose her friends."

"She will make new friends. For. Gods. Sake. We cannot afford to live here anymore," Now he clenched his fists ready to unleash his anger. Buffy's mum could see the anger and decided she had lost as usual. There was no beating her husband at an argument, most the time he let his anger get the best of him.

"Fine. Come on let's go to bed," hearing this Buffy rushed back to her own bedroom and pushed Bandit in her wardrobe so they couldn't hear him. She wasn't supposed to have him in her room but she liked having him there. He was her best friend, once when she was alone someone had tried to break in but Bandit scared them away, he always protected her, they had grown up together. She could hear noises from her parent's room. They were noises a four year old shouldn't even know about let alone hear. She scrunched up her eyes tight and put her pillow over her head to try to sleep through the noises. She had to get up for school the next morning.

The next morning she woke up a bit later than usual after not having much sleep. She pulled on her school cloths, which consisted of tights, a skirt and a blazer with a tie. She went to an all girls private school and was in her very first year of school. She had few friends due to her quiet nature but she didn't care.

"Buffy, can do three times seven?" Buffy sighed class was so boring. The teachers treated you like an idiot.

"Twenty one." She replied. She was fairly bright for her age so got bored easily at school. But it was better than being at home. _Stupid teachers._

"Correct," As the teacher spoke one of the people who worked at reception came in.

"Buffy Summers, the principle needs to see you." The school receptionist told them. Buffy stood up and walked along the corridor to the principles office. She was nervous; she had never been there before. _What have I done wrong?_

"Hello Buffy, don't worry your not in trouble. Your father called us today and said he was transferring you to another school. He said he would be picking you up soon. Here is a card from all the staff and children. We will miss you Buffy," Buffy was shocked. She was going to a new school. She opened the card and peered inside, it was full of names mainly teachers, tears were threatening to spill over her eyes as she read the names. Her father never told her they would be leaving so she wouldn't even get to say goodbye to her friends.

Her dad arrived and got her out the school before she could even speak. The car was outside already packed with luggage, this was unfair they were making her move without even a warning.

"Dad where are we going?" Buffy asked confused and shocked.

"To L.A in America," he replied.

"Why? I don't want to go I like it here," She asked.

"Because I say so, now be quiet and get over it." Buffy did as she was told and sat in silence even though her mind was screaming at her to try to persuade her dad to stay.

When they arrived at the airport Buffy was amazed at the size. It was huge. All around her there were people rushing to catch their flights. When they got on the plane she gripped onto the armrests. She had never been on a plane before but she had seen plane crashes on the television and it was scary. When the plane took of it was even worse. It left a funny feeling in her stomach and made her ears pop.

When they finally landed in a smaller airport than where they started Buffy watched the other passengers being greeted by their loved ones. She could see another little girl about her age running up to her grandparents with her parents close behind and giving them all hugs. It made her feel sick with jealousy.

There new home was a small dingy apartment in a place called Chino. She was thankful she still had Bandit with her to protect her. This place scared her. Everything was dirty and smelly, no one greeted them with waves, and they were just blanked out by their neighbours. The inside of the apartment was no better than the outside. It was the total opposite to what she was used to. They normally had cleaners so there old how was nearly always perfectly clean, but this house looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Buffy decided to investigate her new home.

"Buffy you are starting your new school tomorrow. The neighbour said she would take you." Her Mum yelled about ten minutes later from the other side of the house. 'Great' she thought sarcastically. Her room was tiny and square shaped. She only had one bag of clothes, which her parents had packed and a small box with her private possessions in. She carefully places her folded clothes in her drawers and started putting some of her photos up.

The next day her neighbour walked her to school. She was an elderly woman who smelt like smoke. She didn't speak to Buffy once on the way. At school she sat next to a blonde girl called Harmony who looked a bit ditzy.

"Hi I'm Buffy," She introduced herself to the blonde.

"I'm Harmony." The other girl introduced. Buffy decided she already didn't like this girl; there was just something about her non-trustworthy. The rest of the day was plain and boring. She spoke to a few people but most were rude and mean. She went home and lied on her bed. The tiny four year old cried into her pillow letting her pain out. It wasn't the move that made her cry it was her parents. Her mum had to work longer now her dad wasn't getting as much money and her dad was constantly going on business trips to try to bring in more money than his wife. He like being the best. All they cared about was money.

Her parents came home later fighting as usual. It seemed to get worse and worse every time. Buffy didn't have time to go to her room before they got in like she usually did so instead she sat on the sofa hugging Bandit.

"I NEED to go on this business trip." Hank shouted at his wife.

"You are NOT leaving me here for 3 weeks with that brat why you go to Hawaii," She screamed back.

"We don't have enough money for all three of us to go," He yelled turning as red as a tomato again. "Buffy get the fuck upstairs."

That was all she needed. She started heading towards the stairs when a hand connected with her fragile face. She couldn't believe it her father had hit her. Sure he had hit her before but only when she disobeyed him. She ran towards the stairs and saw Bandit growl lightly at her father trying to protect her.

"Bandit no!" She shouted. But it was too late. Hank had already kicked Bandit and there was a yelp of pain.

"Fucking dog," Hank growled.

"Bandit…" She whispered hoping to see him move, but he continued to lie there motionless.

She cried herself to sleep that night. Bandit was her best friend. He was the only one she could tell her secrets to, the only one which would try to protect her, the only one to care about her. He had died trying to protect her; you can't get more loyal than that.

It was extremely early in the morning and the sun was only just beginning to rise when she woke up. She had a bruise on her face, which was still extremely painful. She looked out her window into their tiny garden and could see some newly dug up dirt. _Bandit_. She went outside in just her pyjamas, lent on the ground and whispered to her faithful friend.

"Goodbye Bandit. I love you. Promise you wont forget me. Please promise me. I will never ever forget you. Thank you for looking after me and protecting me. You will always be my best friend." Fresh tears hit the freshly turned soil and the braveeight year old cried like she had never cried before. She hated her dad; he took away the one thing she had loved. The one thing that had loved her back.

_I'm so very little  
and my Daddy is real tall  
I'm trying very hard now  
to make myself more small  
Maybe he won't see me  
if I shut my eyes real tight  
Maybe he won't hit me  
if I pray with all my might_

_God please keep daddy yelling  
even though it scares me through  
Cause when the room gets quiet  
I know what he will do_

_And next day he'll tell the neighbours  
that I had a nasty fall  
They helped my Daddy hurt me  
cause they never made a call_

**_

* * *

_**

**_Hope you enjoyed my first chapter! I do not own the poem so please don't sue! But it is a really good poem and it brings the point across. Don't worry there is still lots and lots to come, Angel isn't even in the picture yet!_**

_**Let me know whether you think it was amazingly good, ways I could improve it or whether it is just a load of rubbish!**_

_**So basically REVIEW if you want me to carry on because I have other stories to write and need to know whether it is worth carrying on with!**_

_**Love you guys who are reading this!**_


	2. Running

**Disclaimer **– I do not own any of the characters from Buffy or Angel, if I did they would be together and happy! I do own Bandit though so don't nick him! The title of the story is 'take a look at me now' also known as 'against all odds' by Maria Carey although it has been song by others! So I don't own the name so don't sue me!

**Pairings** – B/A, W/O, X/A, C/D.

**Distribution** – You want, you have as long as you tell me where it is going!

**Feedback **– Yep all reviews are welcome. They keep me writing! I love reviewers:D

**Summary** - Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes! **BANGLE GOODNESS!**

**Dedication – **To my new amazing BETA Serrafina/Julia.

**So review and enjoy!**

* * *

Buffy had made up her mind to leave tonight. There was nothing keeping her here, and she was tired of being alone. As wild and stupid as these thoughts seemed Buffy took them seriously she was young and innocent and in desperate need of love. 

_/Once upon a time there was a girl  
In her early years she had to learn  
How to grow up living in a war that she called home  
Never know just where to turn for shelter from the storm/_

She chose a small pink bag to carry her things in. First she walked over to her bed and put Mr.Gordo the pig, her favourite toyinto the bag. Next she took her photos out of their frames to make them lighter, and packed the special ones. The ones she took included one of Bandit when he was a puppy. He had been playing in the garden and at the time of the photo he was sticking his head out of a rose bush. She took a blanket from the drawer and an apple from the fruit bowl.

She put the bag on her back and opened the front door. She looked at all the traffic and people she had never met before and started having second thoughts.

She hid the things she had gotten ready under her bed. She would wait until night when everyone was in bed so she could have a chance to change her mind if she wanted. That way no one would see her go.

She sat on her bed waiting for them to get home. When they got home her mom was yelling yet again.

_/Hurt me to see the pain across my mother's face  
Every time my father's fist would put her in her place  
Hearing all the yelling, I would cry up in my room  
Hoping it would be over soon/_

"You were sleeping with her all this time!" Her mum sounded like she had been crying.

"No I swear it just happened. It has never happened before and it never will again." He sounded like he was begging.

"You're right it will never happen again because you won't get a second chance!"

Joyce ran upstairs and slammed the door of the bathroom. Buffy could actually hear her crying; she wished she could help. Buffy wandered downstairs to see whether her father was still there.

_/Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same  
I still remember how you kept me so afraid  
The strength is my mother, for all the love she gave  
Every morning that I wake, I look back at yesterday  
And I'm Ok/_

"Buffy get to your room now!" Hank screamed at her. She knew better than to disobey her father and went upstairs. She waited hours for her father to go to bed so she could leave but she eventually fell asleep.

_/Often wonder why I've carried all this guilt  
When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built  
Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door  
The echoes of a broken child screaming please no more  
Daddy don't you understand the damage you have done?  
For you it's just a memory but for me it still lives on/_

* * *

_Buffy could see eyes. They were big, brown and beautiful. They made her feel safe from all her fears. She stared at them and felt like she was drowning in them._

_She glanced at her surroundings; everywhere was dark. She turned around to find everything the same behind her, black. She felt a shiver run up her spine; he was near and everything felt so real. She could feel the chill of the air crawling up her arms and legs. She could feel the tiny Goosebumps running up her arms like a virus. But it couldn't be real could it?_

_She turned back round to see that the eyes had disappeared. Now there was no one looking over her to warn her of danger. She could feel him getting closer and her eyes widened in fear. In pure terror she ran into the darkness hoping to see some sign of light, but the darkness kept coming. It was already nearly pitch black but seemed to get darker the more she ran. Still she kept running and changing direction trying to escape the darkness but she was failing._

Her little legs grew tired. She could feel her muscles screaming at her to stop but she kept going until every last ounce of her strength was gone. Lying on the ever-colder floor she eventually felt another shiver go down her spine.

_She forced herself to look up and he was there. Looking at her with an icy glare in his eyes. What was he going to do to her?_

_He took a step forwards and she felt herself grow colder. The more steps he took the colder she got until he was standing directly in front of her. Her eyes darted around looking for an escape but found none. All she could see was a figure on the floor near her. She squinted trying to make out what it was in the darkness. It was Bandit. His lifeless body was lying motionless on the floor._

_She forced herself to get up and she stumbled towards him._

"_Bandit? Bandit, come on buddy lets go and play Frisbee on the field. Bandit?" She reached out and touched his silky golden fur. He was cold, almost as cold as ice. She pulled him up and hugged him forgetting for a second the shadow that drew nearer._

_She heard footsteps behind her and turned around knowing it was him. A white hand reached out to touch her and she felt like she was turning to ice. As soon as the contact was made everything went dark._

A few seconds later, Buffy woke up in a cold sweat. She was breathing heavily. She walked to the bathroom and drenched a flannel with cool refreshing water to put over her head. Her dream had told her enough; no way was she staying where he could reach her.

/Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same  
And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid  
The strength is my mother, for all the love she gave  
Every morning that I wake, I look back at yesterday/

She changed into some lose comfortable jeans and a black top so dirt wouldn't show up as easily. Grabbing her ready-made bag she glanced at the clock. It said 5:43 AM, which meant her parents would be up in around another 45 minutes for work.

Quietly she crept across the landing trying not to wake anyone up. _Maybe I should take mum with me…No she's an adult she can look after herself. But she needs to know I forgive her. _She grabbed a pen and some paper and began writing.

_Dear Mum_

_I have run away to get away from the hate. I am going where I can be loved and no one will hurt me._

_I know you should have helped me but you were scared. If he knew he would have hurt you even more and it would of just been useless._

_I forgive you for not standing up to me and I had Bandit then to stand up for me. I now know you had no one so you had to make him believe you were on his side._

_I hope you find a way to escape someday too. I have a picture of you and I will come back to visit you one day too. Be brave mummy. Love you lots._

_Buffy x x x_

She went to the back garden first to say goodbye. Everything outside was dark, it reminded her of her dream. She knelt down beside the patch of earth where new pieces of grass were starting to grow. New life.

"Hi Bandit. I'm going away now so he can't get me. I promise I'll visit when I get older, when I don't need to be scared anymore. I've kept that picture of you when we first got you. Do you remember that? You loved playing in the rose bushes. Don't forget you're my protector and I love you. I will never forget you. Please don't forget me boy please." She stood up and started walking to the back gate. "Bye Bandit…" she said one last time before leaving forever.

The streets outside were dark waiting to swallow you whole. Leafless trees blew pitifully in the wind like sharp fingers waiting to grab you when you least expect it. Homeless people sat outside random doors drinking themselves to unconsciousness whilst drowning in self-pity. The streets were dirty like no one had bothered cleaning them for years because they knew it wouldn't be long before they were back to theiroriginal state. It was so cold it reminded her more of her dream, but at least the sun would be rising soon and that would bring warmth and light.

_Please hurry up. I'm really scared._ She begged looking up at the sky.

Meanwhile back at home…

_/It's not so easy to forget  
all the marks you left along her neck  
when I was thrown against cold stairs  
and everyday afraid to come home in fear of what I might  
see next/_

Joyce Summers was still fast asleep at homecurled up in her own bed. Everything would be perfect if she didn't have a cold-hearted beast lying next to her.

A cold arm slithered its way around her waist reminding her of a snake waiting silently to strike it prey. She only just managed to suppress a shiver.

"Umm…I'm going to make some coffee. You want some?" She told him trying to escape him.

"No I want you," He replied.

"Later," She told him pulling away from his grip and went downstairs. Thank god she got away. She put the kettle on and got some cups from the cupboard when a piece of paper caught her eye on the kitchen surface next to the sink.

She walked over and opened the paper. _Run away…I forgive you…escape…be brave Mummy…I love you. _The words rolled around her mind like it was a bottomless pit. Tears her daughter believed she wouldn't cry rolled down her cheeks. Her baby was gone…

Just then someone silently entered the room but Joyce was unaware until the letter was snatched out of her hands.

It was Hank. His dark eyes quickly skimmed the letter and he looked at her directly in her eyes daring her to challenge him. She knew this look and normally she would immediately look down. _Be strong Mummy._ She did what her daughter said; she fought for what she thought was right instead of what was safest.

"How dare you," He growled. She turned around as fast as she could and ran upstairs with Hank close behind her. She managed to get to their bedroom and lock the door behind her. She had convinced Hank to put one on to stop Buffy walking in on them.

"Open the door now," He roared his fists banging on the door.

She didn't reply. Instead she grabbed some pen and paper and started writing just as her daughter had not long before.

Buffy 

_I love you more than you know. I'm sorry I wasn't around much but I had to work. I was saving up for us to both escape together. Don't worry about me baby I'm strong and I am glad you are safe. I am sorry I didn't stand up to him but it would have cause**d** more harm than good. I will always love you and I am truly sorry._

_Your Mother_

She opened a frame with a picture of her holding Buffy as a baby and hid it inside hoping that one day Buffy would find it.

The bangs on the door grew more and more ferocious and Joyce stood frozen. _Be brave Mummy…Be brave Mummy…Be brave Mummy, _she spoke repeatedly in an almost silent but gentle voice.

The door flew open with a huge bang. _I will not show him I'm weak. I will be strong for Buffy, she believes in me. _She clenched her fists in tight balls to try to hold in her fear. Her nails were digging into her palms close to drawing blood.

He stood by the door expecting her to cower away and hide from him but she didn't. She stood there with confidence in her eyes.

"Well looks like someone has got some confidence. Where did this come from?" He said smiling in a sinister way.

"My daughter." She replied simply.

"You hated _our_ daughter,"

"She is _not_ your daughter. You didn't care for her."

"Neither did you. If I'm not fit to be her father then you are not fit to be in the same country as her. After all you did nothing to help her. If you really cared for her you would have."

"I did. Why do you think I worked such long hours? Why did I save as much of my money as possible? Because _I_ was trying to save her. Save her from you. You're not her father. A father is someone who cares for their child and protects them. That dog buried outside was more of a father than you'll ever be." She screamed out the last words in pure anger.

He couldn't take anymore. She had no right to talk to him like that. Picking up the nearest object, which happened to be a vase, he chucked it at her full pelt. It hit her in the head shattering to shards and she fell to the floor _(to the floor)_.

She lay lifeless, gone forever. But she was free from the hate and the pain. She could watch her daughter no matter where she was. But best of all she had gone, knowing her daughter was safe and had forgiven her. And that she had stood up to her one fear: Hank.

Buffy had been walking for half an hour and the sun was starting to rise. She turned down a narrow pathway trying to identify any landmarks she might recognise...none. She was lost.

Suddenly she felt warm for no reason at all. She stopped to look up at the sun to see if the clouds had moved but they were still in the exact same place as before stopping any rays from warming the earth's surface.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and she panicked. _What if it's dad?_

She then carefully turned around to see who it was…

_/Bruises fade father but the pain remains the same  
And I still remember how you kept me so afraid  
The strength is my mother for all the love you gave  
Every morning that I wake, I look back at yesterday  
And I'm ok  
Mmhmm  
I'm okay/_

_**Wow I loved your reviews guys! Don't forget they are what keep me writing.**_

_**It's getting kind of sad and depressing so I am going to have some happiness in the next chapter! Enjoy!**_

_**Huge thank you to…**_

**Cursed girl** – Wow you're my first reviewer for this story. Glad you enjoyed it!

**BuffyMongomery** – My second reviewer!

**Michebabyblue – **Thank you so much for reviewing this story and my others you rule!

**PoppingUpBlanks** – Don't worry Angel will be in the next chapter. (Whoops I'm giving it away.)

**Serrafina **– My amazing BETA!

**BloodRoses18 **– Yep I continued. Hope you enjoy!

**Buffycoo999 **– It's continued!

Danielle1 – Glad you like it Angel coming up soon! 

**Casey – **Wow thanks for the great review glad you are enjoying it!

**BloodyLuv **– I know I feel so sorry for her too! Thank you!

**Buffy-CrazyaboutAngel** – Sad now but it will get happier! SweerPrincess4eva – Hope you like! 

**Ceel – **Hope you like this chapter too!

**Flyingbird **– Thank you I love your reviews! 

**Angel of Mine4eva **– Glad you like it happiness coming up!

_**As you can probably see I adored all your reviews!**_

_**It was my birthday 3 days ago so you owe me birthday reviews for this story. Sorry it took so long school sucks big time and my maths teacher has it in for me. I also have loads of coursework so review and it will make me work quicker!**_

_**Just hit 'Go'! Whether they are good, bad or inbetween. REVIEW.**_


	3. Meeting

**IMPORTANT – **Anyone who read the chapters before I posted this one please note that I have changed their ages in all chapters. Angel is now 10 and Buffy is now 8 going on 9. Also I am soooo sorry for the lateness please don't hate me!

**Dedication **– My BETA Serrafina/Julia

**Legal stuff** – Nope I own nothing except the plot, Bandit (aaww miss him already), Jane and Gary.

**On with the story…**

* * *

Buffy instinctively turned around, afraid of what she might see. Instead of icy grey eyes she saw deep brown ones, which instantly calmed her, just like in her dream. She let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. It was a boy about two or three years older than her. She always thought boys had cooties like any other girl her age did. But then the fighting began and when she was promised a little brother he was stillborn. Since then she began to believe that all males would hurt her in one way or another. But when she looked in his eyes she thought she was looking at an Angel. They looked caring but also withdrawn like he was hiding away from the world. 

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__Just spread your wings and  
__Let me see you can fly  
__If you want to let me out of danger  
__Just come to me and don't you never  
__Let me cry/_

"Angel," the boy said to her.

"Huh?" She replied. _Ok that's weird. I probably didn't hear him right._

"That's my name." He looked at her like she had three eyes or something.

"Oh sorry, I'm Buffy." She turned a deep shade of pink. Angel smiled at the little girl's embarrassment.

"Weird name," he said.

Buffy glared at him. She hated people saying her name was weird, she liked it and that was all that mattered.

"My real name is Elizabeth Summers but I hate that name and my mom has always called me Buffy. Anyway, Angel isn't exactly normal; is it a nickname?"

"Nope, I'm in foster care and my parents never gave me a name so I have always been known as Angel."

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__My guardian angel  
__My guardian angel tonight  
_And take me far away tonight/

"I like it. It's pretty."

"Thanks...I think"

"So what are you doing out here so early in the morning?" she asked him curiously.

"The foster parents I'm with now are really religious and they get up really early on Sundays to go to church."

"Isn't that really boring?"

"It can be. Most of the stories are probably made up and stuff but they do have meanings."

"How old are you? Cus you look ten or eleven but you know a lot." She asked.

"I am ten and thanks. What about you? You're clever and you look even younger than me."

"I'm eight and tomorrow I'm nine," she told him proudly.

"Hey, I told you why I was here; now it's your turn to tell me. Aren't your parents worried?" he asked, concerned for this girl he had never met before. He felt the need to act like her brother and friend.

"Um…well…I'm running away." She looked down at her feet as if ashamed of what she was doing.

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__Just spread your wings and  
__Let me see you can fly  
__If you want to let me out of danger  
__Just come to me and don't you never  
__Let me cry/_

"Why are you running away?"

"Just stuff."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No," she said stubbornly.

"Fine, but at least come inside for some food?"

"What about your parents?"

"First they're my FOSTER parents and second they are at some meeting at the church which I managed to get out of."

"Ok," she replied, wondering where he lived. He led her to a small house. It looked cute but seemed too old fashioned for Angel. He led her to the kitchen. It was more modern than the rest of the house but was still small. "Do you like anything in particular? I make the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

She grinned at him. PB and J sandwiches were her favourite. "Mmm, yes please," she said eagerly. She had missed breakfast after rushing to get out of the house.

He made the sandwiches and Buffy stared at him whilst he cleared away the mess. Angel caught her staring. "My foster parents hate mess. You would think it was a sin it something." She nodded in understanding.

They quickly ate the sandwiches. "Mmm that is definitely the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich _ever_."

"Thanks," he said, clearing away the plates. "So how you feeling?"

"Peachy," she said simply.

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__My guardian angel  
__My guardian angel tonight  
__And take me far away tonight/_

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Buffy wanted to tell him. She already trusted him and she had only known him for a couple of hours. She just wasn't ready to let it out yet to anyone. Anyway he was still male and was bound to hurt her if she trusted him. "I…I can't," she said.

Angel's face fell. He wanted her to trust him. He had always wanted a little sister. Someone he could look out for and protect. He never had the chance to get close to anyone because he was always moving. No one ever seemed to want to stay with him for too long. He felt like he had some highly contagious deadly disease, which kept people away. Sometimes he wished he did, and then he would know it wasn't his fault people didn't want to stay with him.

Seeing his face fall Buffy quickly told him why. "I just…" She took a deep breath. "I have never told anyone before and I am not ready. It's not you."

Angel felt a bit better. _She'll let me know when she is ready; anyway I'm basically a stranger to her._

"So…" he said, trying to think of something to ease the tension. "Where were you heading?"

"I don't know I just felt like I needed to go." She looked away unable to meet his eyes.

It hurt him but he wasn't going to let her see that. "Right…err…so do you know where you are staying tonight?"

"No, but I will find somewhere."

Angel felt himself getting protective over the small blonde. She had no idea what the real world was like and he didn't want her to know. "I'll ask Jane and Gary if you can stay when they get home."

"Who are they?"

"My foster parents."

"No," she said, a little too quickly. "I mean that if they know I have run away they will phone my parents or the police."

"I will tell them you are a friend from school sleeping over."

"Okay thank you." She curled up on the sofa and fell asleep after the long day. Angel saw her sweet innocent face as she slept. Her blonde hair shimmered in the light making her look like an angel.

As innocent as she had seemed when he looked in her eyes he could see pain and lots of it. Like she was locking it up inside and throwing away the key to suffer alone. But with that pain he also saw strength. One of Angel's strengths was reading people; being in the system allowed him to meet many different people and he taught himself to read people so he would know who he was dealing with.

_It must have taken a lot to drive such a strong girl from her home, _he eventually decided.

Careful not to wake her, he lifted her sleeping form and placed her on his bed hoping she would feel better after a good sleep.

Angel went down stairs and put on the film 'Van Helsing' so he could hopefully watch it before Jane and Gary go home. They didn't like him watching things that were rated PG-13 when he was only 10. They also didn't like him watching things associated with darkness, which was annoying because Angel's favourite colour was black. He slowly drifted off in his own peaceful slumber.

About 10 minutes after falling asleep someone started gently nudging his shoulder. He shot up, thinking it was Buffy and she needed him but relaxed when he saw it was Jane standing over him with a worried expression.

"Angel I told you not to watch films above your age limit. I don't want you having nightmares. I took you out of foster care but if I do something wrong they could take you back." She would have gone on for ages making him feel more and more guilty if he hadn't butted in.

"Okay, I get the picture; I don't need a speech. I am having a friend sleep over tonight, okay?"

"First, I talked to your principle who was at the meeting and he said you haven't been at school all week and your grades are dropping. Second, you disobeyed me so you can't have anyone sleep for a week because you are grounded."

"But…"

"No buts."

Angel sulked upstairs but it was all an act. What Jane didn't know couldn't hurt her or Angel for that matter. Jane and Gary were very kind and generous people but not the kind of people Angel warmed to easily. They were also very strict, which drove Angel up the wall most of the time.

* * *

Buffy woke up and looked at her surroundings. This wasn't her room. Where was she? It didn't feel cold and scary; it felt warm and safe. She laid down to think about the past events and remembered Angel, the boy who had saved her from the streets and given her food and a warm place to stay. He really was an angel. 

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__Just spread your wings and  
__Let me see you can fly  
__If you want to let me out of danger  
__Just come to me and don't you never  
__Let me cry/_

A piece of silver glistening in the moonlight caught her eye. On the bedside table there was a note accompanied by a necklace, which had a beautiful silver cross dangling from it. Buffy cautiously opened the note and read it.

_Buffy_

_I remember you saying it was your birthday today so Happy Birthday!_

_Sorry it's not much but I didn't have much time and I don't know what you like._

_It was a welcoming present from my foster parents. They told me that it symbolizes strength because of some whole thing with Jesus on a cross, but it can give you strength when you need it._

_Have a great birthday!_

_Angel_

She read it the note carefully and then examined the cross after putting the note safely in her pocket. No one had ever been so thoughtful and she had only known him for less than a day. She held the cross carefully as if it were thin glass, which would break if the tiniest of pressure were put onto it. On the back the word _Strength _was engraved in delicate curvy writing. She carefully put the necklace around her neck and did it up. She then checked what it looked like in the reflection in the window. It was only just getting dark outside and a car was pulling up outside the house. Buffy watched a couple come out of the car. They looked angry. No, not angry more like…disappointed.

'They must be Angel's foster parents,' Buffy thought to herself.

When she heard someone open the front door downstairs she snuck out of the bedroom and sat at the top of the stairs listening.

She could barely hear the voices.

"Take you back…foster care…can't have anyone sleep…grounded," was all she could make out.

'They are taking Angel back and its all my fault. I need to go before they find me and put me into foster care as well. Looks like I am spending the night on the streets after all,' she thought. 

_/If you wanna be my guardian angel  
__My guardian angel  
__My guardian angel tonight  
__And take me far away tonight/_

**HUGE HUGE thank you to…**

**Blood Roses 18  
Flyingbird  
****Michebabyblue  
****Milly301  
****Angel of Mine  
****Casey (anon)  
****Hannah (anon)  
****i-hate-mornings  
****Buffy-CrazyaboutAngel  
****Melluvben  
****Natz (anon)  
****Sammy Jay  
****Rushden girl  
****Pritty (anon)  
****Liamanne  
****Buffycoo999  
****Emily (anon)  
****Kelly (anon)  
****llcoolj (anon)  
****Candace (anon)  
****Chosen-one91  
****txgrljf**

Let me know if I missed you! All I can say is wow this response is amazing you guys rock soooo much!

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Next chapter find out what will happen to Buffy's dad, Hank. Also I am not mean like Joss. I am not leaving Buffy and Angel like that!

Do any of you guys watch Bones? I love David Boreanaz! I will accept him in any size, shape or form! All you need to do is sneak up behind him when no one is looking put him in an envelope and post him to me LOL! So anyway review!


	4. Hank

**I am so sorry I haven't been updating with this story but I have been doing loads of art and stuff and I just haven't had the inspiration! Thank you to everyone who is sticking with me and being patient!**

**Dedication **– My BETA Serrafina/Julia I can never thank her enough! She is an amazing Beta!

**Legal stuff** – Nope I own nothing except the plot, Bandit (Aww miss him already), Jane and Gary. Jumps up and down happily whhooo I own characters! The song is Crazy by Simple Plan and nope I sadly don't own it! But I can wish right?

**A/N** OMG I watched season 2 of Buffy again last night cus I haven't watched that season for soooo long and I forgot how sad it was when she sent him to hell, remember his eyes:'(

This chapter is set just after Hank kills Joyce.

Anyway… 

/Tell me what's wrong with society  
When everywhere I look, I see  
Young girls dying to be on TV  
They won't stop till they've reached their dreams/

Hank slowly sank down the wall onto the floor in shock. He had killed someone. Not just anyone, he had killed his own wife and _enjoyed_ it. The pleasure, the power and the risks made him feel like he had never felt before. The question now was…could he get away with it?

/Diet pills, surgery  
Photoshopped pictures in magazines  
Telling them how they should be  
It doesn't make sense to me/

Hank stared outside the window. The sun was setting early as winter set in. Leafless branches scratched against the window as the wind howled and the rain poured down. The moon, however, was eerily still. It seemed to stare at Hank like an accusing eye, having witnessed everything.

/Is everybody going crazy?  
Is anybody gonna save me?  
Can anybody tell me what's going on?  
Tell me what's going on?  
If you open your eyes  
You'll see that something is wrong/

"Buffy…" Hank whispered to himself. He pushed himself up off the cold floor and strode purposefully towards where Joyce's body lay motionless, his mind once confused and shocked, now clear and decisive. A pool of blood surrounded her head and her left arm lay awkwardly behind her. Her eyes were still open with a layer of liquid covering them and shining like she was trying to cry. Once again he could see the moon's reflection in the blood, watching his every move as if silently cursing him to a life without peace.

Hank grabbed her shoulders and started to shake her limp form with desperation. "Where is she? Where is Buffy?" When no answer came he pushed her across the room, splattering blood onto the walls. He then just stood in the middle of the room thinking…planning…plotting.

/I guess things are not how they used to be  
There's no more normal families  
Parents act like enemies  
Making kids feel like it's World War III/

He stood in the same place for more than 40 minutes before deciding what to do. He would try to get away with it. What was the point in being weak and not even trying? Hank thought of himself as anything but weak. He saw himself as someone greater than a king or a war hero when really he was no better than a vulture.

He had to plan it carefully. His fingerprints were all over the body and her blood covered him. He felt sweat trickle down his forehead as he panicked.

/No one cares, no one's there  
I guess we're all just too damn busy  
And money's our first priority  
It doesn't make sense to me/

In the police department, Officer Giles had just begun his shift at the police department, ready for any emergencies. It had been a tough day with a couple of domestic violence calls, and he had spent half the day tracking and catching a vicious dog. Didn't they have the dog pound to deal with that?

He sighed. He had joined the force so he could help people. Deal with murders, bank robberies and terrorists, not catch dumb dogs and stop arguments between a husband and wife. She deserved to be shouted at anyway; she was the one who had an affair. They didn't know how lucky they were to be together.

He didn't have a family himself. He was 36 and his wife had died of bladder cancer four years ago, taking with her their unborn child. Since then he had dedicated his life to his work. He respected his wife's memory too much to date another woman.

/Is everybody going crazy?  
Is anybody gonna save me?  
Can anybody tell me what's going on?  
Tell me what's going on?  
If you open your eyes  
You'll see that something is wrong/

He slumped into the office and made himself a cup of coffee, scowling at the taste. He only drank coffee to keep him self awake during the long hours of the night and he only ate donuts on special occasions and even then he only ate jelly donuts. Most of the time he just sat in his chair staring at a picture of Nadine, wondering how different his life would be if he still had her and their baby. He would sit in that chair until the phone decided to ring and bring him out of his daze. **(Note: he meets Jenny later!)**

Today was no different. He sat in his chair staring into oblivion

I wonder if we would have had more than one child. I would have liked a… 

BRING…BRING…BRING…BRING

He was dragged out of his thoughts by the phone ringing. It was rare for the phone to ring at night; most times it didn't ring at all.

/Is everybody going crazy?  
Is everybody going crazy/

"Hello Chino police department," he greeted dully, expecting it to be vandalism or someone who decided to have a midnight argument.

"Hello," a man spoke on the other line.

"Yes," Giles answered, rather annoyed at being dragged away from his thoughts.

He could remember when one of the other officers had hidden his picture of Nadine for an April Fool's joke. But it wasn't a joke for Giles; he had almost lost his job that day…

"DIDN'T YOU HERE ME I SAID I CAME HOME AND MY WIFE WAS LYING MURDERED ON THE FLOOR!" someone shouted across the line, obviously very pissed off.

"S-s-sorry," Rupert replied, partly ashamed at drifting off into his own world when someone was talking to him, and partly amazed at something like a murder happening. It was unbelievable.

_/Tell me what's wrong with society  
When everywhere I look I see  
Rich guys driving big SUVs  
While kids are starving in the streets/_

Back at Angel's house… 

Angel raced back upstairs. He had told his parents he was going to ring his friend to tell them they couldn't sleep over because he was grounded.

He wasn't cruel though. No way was he going to let her spend a night on the street. Not in a million years.

/No one cares  
No one likes to share  
I guess life's unfair/

When he reached his bedroom door he could here a slight sniffling, like someone was trying to hold back tears but not succeeding very well. It hurt him to know she was upset. He knew what it was like to be alone and afraid. But he was going to make a difference and make sure she knew she had a friend.

"Buffy," he spoke gently through the door. When there was no answer he pushed the door open.

When it was open he saw Buffy sitting on the edge of his bed, bag on her back ready to leave. The sight shocked him at first. Why would she want to leave? He hadn't done anything to her except look after her.

"Where are you going?" Angel asked. His eyes showed she had hurt him by leaving and not planning on saying goodbye. Angel had already had too many people leave him and he wasn't ready to say goodbye to someone he had only just met.

"T-they said t-they were going to p-put you back in c-care," Buffy managed to stutter out through her tears. She was playing with her hands nervously. Her blonde hair was sticking to her face where it was wet from tears.

Angel sat down on the edge of the bed and put a comforting arm around her, hoping he could ease her tears. If they were not careful his foster parents would hear her and then they would be done for. He would be grounded and she would be sent back home or even to foster care, and that was the last place he wanted her to go. It was a hard life, not having a place to belong.

/Is everybody going crazy?  
Is anybody gonna save me?  
Can anybody tell me what's going on?  
Tell me what's going on?  
If you open your eyes  
You'll see that something, something is wrong/

"Hey don't cry, they aren't sending me back. They said they could if they wanted to but they weren't going to unless I misbehave again. They aren't that bad, just a bit strict. They wouldn't send me back unless I did something really bad," he told her calmly.

"But you are misbehaving by having me here when you aren't supposed to," Buffy replied, determined not to get him in trouble. She was going to be in enough trouble herself without dragging him into it all.

"What they don't know won't hurt me," he told her confidently.

She gave in. There was no point in arguing with him when he was so stubborn. She liked him like that; it made her feel wanted even though she was only leftovers, like a half eaten cookie thrown in the bin.

"Fine, I'll stay," she told him, but when she saw the triumphant smile on his face she quickly added, "but only because it is dark outside and anyone could be about."

In truth she was just as stubborn as Angel.

/Is everybody going crazy?  
Can anybody tell me what's going on?  
Tell me what's going on?  
If you open your eyes  
You'll see that something is wrong/

"What film do you want to watch?" Angel asked Buffy a couple of hours later, careful not to be heard by his foster parents.

"Pirates Of The Caribbean?" she suggested.

"Sure." He went downstairs and grabbed it along with some ready-made popcorn.

They lay on the bed side by side, watching the film like they had been friends for years. They both felt free, like they belonged.

They spent the rest of the night talking, laughing, and having popcorn fights before falling asleep.

The next morning Angel put the television on for Buffy and went to the bathroom to change.

The news came on and Buffy listened to see if her mother had reported her missing yet.

'Last night the body of Joyce Summers was discovered by her husband, Hank Summers. The police haven't given us information on the cause of death but they are treating it as a murder. The distraught husband has refused to speak with us because he claims the pain he feels is over whelming. We will try to keep you up to date if any new evidence is discovered.'

**Left you on a cliffhanger!**

**What will Buffy do?**

**No one reported her missing….**

**My thankies….**

**SamiJay **– Thank you!

**Pritty **– Thanks for the enthusiastic comment I love comments like those! Glad you love it and hope you love the rest (:

**Emily **– I am so cruel! I left you on a cliffhanger for so long then made another one! Forgive me?

**Kelly – **Thank you!

**Casey **– Glad you love it sorry for the wait!

**Jess **– How about we share him: P

**llcoolj **– Thank you!

**Chosen-one91 **– Okay as soon as David Boreanaz arrives I'll let you know!

**Txgrljf - ** Thank you

**JessAngelus** – Thankies!

**Casey** – Lol they hopefully will grow up soon but it will be a long story hopefully so be patient :) Thank you!

**Gotta Have Faith13 **– Thanks glad you like it!

**Michebabyblue **– Glad you like it I try to keep them original. Guess I'm doing a good job? You are one of my best reviewers so **thank you!**

**Natz101 **– Thanks

**AngelicAngel – **Yay thank you your comment was very inspirational!

**i-hate-mornings **– **Amazing reviewer! You made me finish this chapter because your review was great! Made me actually think this story was going somewhere so big thankies!**

**Kaylea** – Thank you glad you loved it!

**Buffy-CrazyaboutAngel **– Thank you! Hmm don't know…. Do you guys think Buffy should eventually be the **slayer or for it to be completely AU**?It could be interesting having her trying to keep it a secret or it could get complicated. I can fit my storyline around it though so you guys can decide for me!

**Buffycoo999 **– Thanks! I will!

**Flyingbird** – Another amazing reviewer! A huge thanks!

**Wow that took a long time. I like showing you guys that I appreciate your comments though.**

**Please review it doesn't take long at it is helpful and makes me write! And thanks for reading this!**

**Any of you guys watch or write about prison break? It is my new obsession now that Bones is over. Wentworth Miller is so hot!**


	5. Chapter 5

Okay soooo..

..Thank you everyone who has been reviewing this story! I love you loadz!

Also I will be updating, everything has just been sooo caotic lately. I did just update my fic 'May we never forget' but was rather disappointed to only get one review on that chapter so that has slowed my writing down a bit. But feel free to read and get some more BA AU goodness:D

But as you all have been so kind this fic will be updated shortly!

Thankyou for your patience!


	6. Denial

**Legal stuff** – Nope I own nothing except the plot, Bandit (Aww miss him already), Jane and Gary. Jumps up and down happily whhooo I own characters!!

**Pairings** – B/A, W/O, X/A, C/D.

**Distribution** – You want, you have as long as you tell me where it is going!

**Feedback **– Yep all reviews are welcome. They keep me writing! I love reviewers! :D

**Summary** - Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes!! BANGEL GOODNESS!!

So review and enjoy!

* * *

The news came on and Buffy listened to see if her mother had reported her missing yet.

'Last night the body of Joyce Summers was discovered by her husband, Hank Summers. The police haven't given us information on the cause of death but they are treating it as a murder. Also her daughter has gone missing and the events may be linked. The distraught husband has refused to speak with us because he claims the pain he feels is over whelming. We will try to keep you up to date if any new evidence is discovered.'

Buffy's eyes widened as she listened to the statement.

'Why did I leave her there? I knew what he was like. It's my fault I could have stopped this from happening, if only I had made her leave too,' Buffy thought. Her eyes stung from being open for so long until eventually she was forced to blink. Squeezing back her tears for a moment, she pushed her face on Angel's pillow so no one heard her cry.

Buffy didn't know how long it had been since her outburst but after what seemed like an eternity she felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder. She turned around to see Angel's big brown eyes looking back at her. She stared into his eyes for a few moments and he could see the pain there. He sat on his bed with her and held her whilst she cried. He said soothing words and did his best to comfort the young girl.

After a while she stopped crying. She wasn't sure if it was because of Angel's comforting words or simply because she had run out of tears but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was no longer crying. She took a few deep breaths before sitting up. She looked at Angel and saw that his shirt was wet from her tears.

"Sorry I made you're shirt wet Angel," She apologised.

"Hey it's okay," He replied. "Now are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?"

Buffy couldn't help but smile at this. She wasn't sure if he meant it however she was extremely ticklish and decided it was best to tell him.

She took a deep breath. "Okay."

He could tell by looking at her that the sparkle in her eyes had gone. It was like she had lost part of her soul. He knew she had had a tough life so whatever was bothering her it had to be bad.

'Why do I have the urge to protect this girl I hardly know?' He thought to himself sighing.

"I-I ran away from my dad," She stuttered and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Why did you run?" Angel asked out of curiosity and the fact that he wanted to know everything so he could try and figure out a way to help her.

"H-he…well he did things…" She answered managing to keep her tears away.

"Buffy he hurt you didn't he?" He was so angry that someone could hurt her. She nodded not wanting to hear herself admit it.

"B-but that's not it," She told him. He couldn't believe there was more. "On the new just now they said she…she was dead."

Fresh tears started slowly running down her face.

"Who was Buffy? Please tell me. I only want to help you," Angel said letting the young girl know he was there for her.

"You can't! No one can! Didn't you hear me she is dead!" Buffy was on the verge of shouting but tried her hardest to hold it in so Angel's parents didn't hear her. She picked up the closest thing to her, which happened to be a toy car and threw it aiming for the wall. But her vision was blurred from tears and she ended up hitting Angel with it instead. One of the sharp corners on it cut into the skin on his lower right arm causing it to bleed.

After blinking a few times Buffy realised what she had done.

"Angle I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean to hit you," She started sobbing again and he came over to hug her.

"It's okay I know you didn't mean it," He reassured her.

"I'm sorry it-it was my mum. He-he killed her," She said hardly believing it herself. "But I still shouldn't have chucked you car even if I wasn't aiming for you."

"Buffy stop saying you're sorry. It's okay and anyway I would have done much worse if I was in your shoes," Angel was rubbing small circles on her back like his mum did when he was upset.

"Thank you," She told him. "Can you come to the police station with me?"

"Yeh of course I will we will have to sneak out though," He answered.

In such a short time the two children had formed a bond like no other. It was a true friendship but not everything turns out for the better.

* * *

**Okay this is a short chapter because I wasn't sure if people were still interested in it. I am however going to write a lot more stories and finish them now! I have gotten into writing again and plan to write some step up 2 fanfics as well because I love that move!! Lols!**

**Thanks to –**

**Jess (Anon) – I think I agree with keeping this completely AU! Thanks for the help and review! X**

**Kaylea - I have updated at last! Sorry for the wait! X**

**Michebabyblue – Glad you like it! X**

**Nonsda06 (Anon) – Whoop for DB! Ya gotta love him! X**

**Chosen-one91 – Another one now aswell! Thanks for the review! X**

**Paige-halliwell57 – I have a dog too and I don't know what I would do without him. Sorry I took so long! X**

**Angeluslover92 (Tay) (Anon) - Thank you Tay it means a lot that you reviewed and enjoyed it! Good idea too bad he wasn't single in real life they would make a great couple! X**

**Raindropsx3 – Means a lot that you liked it! And reviewed! I'm still amazed at how much people like this fic! And I have updated! It just took me a while lolls :P X**

**BlackHalliwell – Thank you! X**

**JessAngelus – Glad you liked it And to your last question eeer not very observant parents lols. X**

**Jamie90 – Really glad you liked it! Sorry I took so long! Loves X**

**PsychoSlayerttm – Sorry I took so long! Your questions will be answered if you keep on reading! X**

**BritSlayerGal (Anon) – ONE OF THE BEST?! You are officially my new best friend! Lols thank you so much I loved reading you review! It meant a lot hope you will be reading this chapter! X**

**Maxie (Anon) – Glad you like it and I agree I cant resist BA goodness Thank you! X**

**PaddySnuffles – Thank you!! Buffy is now officially 8 lols sorry for the mix up X**

**Themeankitten – Yep I have! I love the OC lols! Thank you for EVERYthing you said in your review! X**

**Dark angel (anon) – Thank you! X**

**Eferyan – Thanks! X**

**Spike'n'AngelLover – Thank you X**

**Bangel - Yay! Always good to know! I had better keep updating then **

**Please review and let me know what you think! 27 people have alerts to this story and I'm wondering how many gave up on this because of my busyness lols. Anyways if you do read it please review it will make my day! **

**Also as soon as this reaches 100 reviews I will stay up as long as I have to to gve you the next chapter that same day!**

**And I know they are still kids but it is going to be a nice long fic! And their childhoods are what make them who they are in the future.**

**To come…**

**Buffy and Angel go to the police station but will they believe her…**

**Will Angel get in trouble if his foster parents find out he left the house…**

**Will Buffy find the letter her mum left her…**

**And more…**

**Review if you love me and Bangelness!!**


	7. Run Away

Legal stuff – Nope I own nothing except the plot, Bandit (Aww miss him already), Jane and Gary

_**Legal stuff**__ – Nope I own nothing except the plot, Bandit (Aww miss him already), Jane and Gary. Jumps up and down happily whhooo I own characters!!_

_**Pairings**__ – B/A, W/O, X/A, C/D._

_**Distribution**__ – You want, you have as long as you tell me where it is going!_

_**Feedback **__– Yep all reviews are welcome. They keep me writing! I love reviewers! :D_

_**Summary**__ - Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes!! BANGEL GOODNESS!! _

_So review and enjoy!_

Angel and Buffy had been discussing ways to sneak out for the past few minutes. In the end they had decided to go with the traditional tying of bed sheets method.

"Make sure you tie them real tight," Angel told her.

Buffy smirked. "I aint stupid you know,"

"I wasn't saying you were, I was-I was just making sure," He was worried he had offended the girl.

"Angel chill I was joking," Buffy said laughing and throwing a pillow at him watching him grin back.

"I knew that," he stated.

'_Yeh right,'_ Buffy thought smiling but not saying anything.

Eventually all the knots were secured and one end of the bed sheets was hanging outside the window whilst the other was tied to Angel's bed.

"I'll go first just in case you fall," Angel told her.

She nearly laughed. She had been sneaking out of windows for nearly as long as she could walk.

She watched him climb onto the window sill and get in a good position to start climbing down. He was moving very slowly and his balance wasn't very good causing the sheets to swing more.

"Go on just a little bit further," She quietly called to him.

When he got near the bottom he lost his grip causing him to fall and hit the ground with a thud, landing on his bottom.

Buffy couldn't help laughing and quickly swung herself out the window and effortlessly climbed down.

"Maybe I should have gone first," She grinned when she reached the bottom.

He gave her a look that said 'whatever'. "How did you do that so quickly?"

She shrugged. "Practise."

"So where're we going?" He asked curiously speeding up his pace to keep up with her.

"To mine," She replied as if it had been obvious the whole time.

"Oh…right," Answered Angel unsure of the reason why they were going there.

They didn't have far to walk but Angel was walking fast enough for Buffy. Hurry up Angel!"

After about five minutes they arrived at Buffy's house, it was surrounded by police tape with reporters swarmed round trying to get as much information as possible from the police. As soon as they noticed her they all ran towards her.

Buffy had microphones shoved in her face and they were all asking her questions and taking photos, causing her to nearly be blinded by the flashes.

"Stop!" She heard someone shout. She turned around to see Angel.

'_That boy has a big mouth considering he is only just bigger than me,' She thought to herself smiling._

When the police had seen the swarm of reporters surrounding something they went to investigate. The managed to move the reporters out of the way and when they saw Buffy one picked her up and carried her to the medical van telling her she was going to be okay. Angel just stood and watched her be taken away, unsure of what to do. The reporters got shots of the policeman carrying her and then turned their attention to Angel asking him question such as 'how do you know the girl?' But Angel didn't want to answer them. Instead he turned around and started walking away.

"Hey kid, you need a ride?" One of the policemen called to him.

"Sure," Angel grunted in reply.

When he got in the car and gave the policeman the directions he decided to let his curiosity get the best of him.

"Is Buffy going to be okay?" He asked.

"She will be fine; we will take care of her." This was the only reply he got.

'_God I hope so,' Angel thought. _He cared for Buffy, even after such a short time. The question now was will he ever see her again?

**Sorry it's so short!! I'm just desperate to upload something for this story but I have started the next chapter and it will be a lot longer. So will Angel see Buffy again? What will happen to her now? Will the police believe her that her dad did it? Find out!**

**Ooo and not long til they are grown up! **

**Dedicated to ****Brandi Rochon for the review. Each chapter will have a dedication!**

**Review! Pweddy please!**

**x**


	8. Run Away Part 2

_**Feedback **__**– Yep all reviews are welcome. They keep me writing! I love reviewers! :D**_

_**Summary**__** - Buffy Summers is a young girl who has everything except love from her parents. Her best friend is her dog Bandit but when she goes into foster care everything changes!! BANGEL GOODNESS!!! **_

_**So review and enjoy!**_

Buffy watched Angel leave and wondered if she would ever see the boy, who took her in when she needed it most, again. This was going to be the start of something that would either make her or break her.

Buffy was lead towards a police car where she was told to sit inside and wait. Alone at last she could think about the future and what could happen. After what seemed like hours but may have only been minutes a woman came to the police car with an officer and opened the door.

"Hello, my name is Helen and I'm going to take you to your new home okay?" She told Buffy in a calming voice.

Buffy wasn't sure but of course she had no choice but to nod in agreement. They would take her anyway so what was the point in arguing and besides she was tired. Buffy was then moved to an old silver car and Helen got in and started the car.

"So what is our name?" She asked.

"Buffy."

"Okay then Buffy, do you have any relatives or guardians to take care of you?" The strange woman asked.

"No it's just me now," She replied sadly.

And so they made their way towards the adoption agency where she was going to begin the rest of her life.

**I know what's going on with this chapter? But it's short and sweet because I should have put it at the end of the last chapter because the next chapter they won't be kids anymore.**

**Okay been really really long since my last update which I am sorry for but I have finished my course and it was the best.**

**What's happened since I last updated – **

**Passed my driving test**

**I have a Peugeot 206 called Alvin :P**

**I move away from home on the 31****st**** of January**

**My granddad passed away**

**I finished my course**

**Getting nearer to finally being 18!**

**My laptop works again**

**Got my first wisdom tooth lols!**

**So review and a chapter will come sooner than you thing ;)**


	9. Older But Maybe Not Wiser

_**Im back!!!!!**_

_Buffy was running as fast as her legs could carry her. She was trying to escape her past where things happened to her that she wouldn't tell a soul, except one. She ran from the good things because she knew that they wouldn't last long and ran from the bad things just to escape them. But eventually she knew one of them would catch up and that was when she would awake screaming._

Buffy thought someone was in her house screaming when she awoke until the realization hit her that it was her screaming. She had moved out of her previous foster home, well she was basically kicked out when she turned 18. They said she could stay if she paid them rent, which was an amount she could definitely not afford seeing as she was planning on going to college.

So she soon moved out and found a tiny flat that she could only just afford working most nights as well as weekends at the diner down the street. But she knew that one day she was going to make her life better and prove to everyone who had doubted her all her life that they were wrong. Her aim was to one day be a lawyer.

Today was her first day of college and she was nervous. Every penny she had since she was 13 years old had been saved for this.

What if she hated it?

What if they hated her?

Or she was just plain rubbish?

Would she make any friends?

Or just be bullied like when she was younger?

All these questions buzzed through her mind and she was getting more excited and nervous by the minute.

She took a deep breath before she stepped onto the bus that morning.

Although she was shattered after working so much she still looked beautiful even if she didn't know it herself. She only wore light make up. She was the type of person who was more beautiful natural not to mention she couldn't afford make up except the odd mascara and blusher.

'Here goes' she thought to herself this time holding her breath as she got of the bus.

The college was large but she already knew it because she had visited it twice before for open evenings.

Looking at it now it looked exactly the same as high school. Even on their first day you could see who the 'popular' kids would be.

She headed for the office to get her timetable. Well roughly headed in the direction she thought the office was. She only had a rough idea so was walking with her face glued to the map determined not to have to ask for help on her first day.

If she was anything these days it was definitely independent.

In her daze looking at the map she had forgotten to look where she was going and banged straight into someone. She lost her balance but was caught by a pair of strong arms whom she presumed belong to a guy.

"I'm really really sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going its all my f…" Buffy started until she saw the big brown eyes of the person who had saved her from great embarrassment. "Angel?"

"Angel died a long time ago," he spoke roughly before disappearing into the crowd of people leaving Buffy shocked and confused.

_**Short…yes**_

_**But I want to see if people are still interested before I carry on because it has been a while! Although for some reason my muse has come back bigger and better than ever!!!**_

_**Enjoy and review if you want more!!!**_

_**Natz x**_


	10. Different On The Inside

_**Well you guys have been so supportive that I decided I had to update!**_

_**I don't think I made you wait to long, did I?**_

_**I have decided to try and finish this fic first before I do the others.**_

_**Anyways enjoy!!!!**_

After Angels remark Buffy kept her head down low for the rest of the day.

She was so confused. This was the boy she had gone through so much with. Foster home after foster home…more disappointment with each.

She sighed. Only one question ran through her mind.

_What has happened to Angel? MY Angel?_

When the bell rung she picked up her things and headed to her next class looking at her timetable.

'_English….great' she thought to herself sarcastically._

The only good thing with today was that every lesson had been piss easy. She figured they were just easing them into it and she sure as hell didn't mind.

When she got to her classroom she was one of the last and went to sit in an empty seat next to a small red head.

Buffy smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Buffy."

Buffy held her hand out for the girl to shake.

"Willow," she replied shaking her hand. "I'll warn you now though if you want to be popular and hang out with the likes of Angelus then don't sit next to me."

The girl sounded pretty serious Buffy thought.

"Being popular is so overrated," She replied.

'_I like her, she is sweet,' _Buffy thought to herself whilst wondering about Angel.

'_He used to hate being called Angelus…What's changed?' _She thought.

She closed her eyes in thought and then rested her head on the desk. Willow gave her a funny look but didn't question her.

"Freak," A familiar voice muttered walking past.

Buffy looked up and saw him.

She didn't know what was going on but he definitely wasn't the same person he was when they were kids.

But she knew one thing for certain.

She was going to find out.

_**Sorry for the stupidly shortness of this chapter guys I wasn't sure where I was going with this when I started the chapter but now I know and need a new chapter to start it….**_

_**Please review!**_

_**x**_


	11. Angelus

_**Hmmmm…What Can I say but enjoy!**_

Angel pulled up his car outside the college. How many more years of this would he have to endure?

He locked the doors of his brand new convertible and thought how lucky and privileged he was.

This is because Angel wasn't like all the other rich kids.

He had grown up without his parents moving from home to home. Although he did have one thing….his best friend.

_//flashback//_

_After they had taken _her _away he had felt lost._

_After such a short time Angel had felt a connection with this girl._

_So he did what he thought was best. He gave up his loving family for her. He had fought and rebelled until they couldn't take it no more and sent him back into care._

_It took him a while but after 2 months he had found her again. 2 months of turning down many good families just to find her._

_After that their friendship blossomed even more. They said to the foster home that they wanted to remain together but in most cases they couldn't be. But they both rebelled until they were together again. Those that took both of them in normally ended up turning out bad but they didn't care cus they had each other andd that was enough to get them through anything._

_Or so Angel thought._

_He remembered that day clearly._

_It was like any other…kids playing whilst wannabe parents picked their prize out of the scrabble of children. What he remember most is the man's wide white smile when he saw Buffy._

_As he saw him and his wife walk towards her all he could think was 'no she's mine.'_

_The next week they were taking her home. Angel knew she would be back, she always was. But he still hated saying good bye to her._

_She ran over to him giving him a great big hug._

'_Ill be back Angel' she had whispered into his ear. 'I promise I will never leave you.'_

_Too bad she hadn't kept her promise because now after 10 years he still hadn't seen her since that day._

//present//

Angel sighed at the memory. He knew he would never forget her, he just wished he could.

He decided to actually go to his first lesson today instead of skiving to help distract him so he headed of in a hurry.

He was still daydreaming when a tiny figure banged into him.

He managed to grab her and pull her up before she hit the ground.

"I'm really really sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going its all my f…" The girl started, I was about to speak but I couldn't say a word. I guess she noticed as well because the next thing she said was "Angel?"

"Angel died a long time ago," I said roughly before turning and walking away. I was Angelus now. Angel the kid I used to be was long gone. He had vanished when his best friend had betrayed him.

He was confused at seeing her again. Was she just out to hurt him? Just when he starts to get over her she appears out of know where on his turf.

'_Ill show her' _he thought to himself.

_**What you think? Hope this makes everything clearer!**_

_**Thank you so much for the reviews!!! They make my day =]**_


	12. Getting to know the place

_**More =] Thanks for the reviews guys!!**_

After Angel left Buffy was still stood there with tears in her eyes.

She knew he hated her.

She also knew the reason why.

She just wished she could explain to him her reasons.

Maybe then he wouldn't hate her?

Buffy was soon cut out of her daydreaming.

"Buffy you okay?" It was Willow. "What happened with Angelus? He looked proper pissed off."

"N-nothing," Buffy replied snapping out of it.

"Buffy this is Xander," She said introducing them. "Xander…Buffy."

Buffy hadn't even noticed the brown haired guy standing next to Willow.

"Hey." She said to him.

"Hey Buffster," Xander said already deciding upon a nickname.

"Buffster?" She asked.

"Yeh I think it suits you better than Buffy," He said smiling in a goofy way.

"Fair enough," Said Buffy also grinning. "Now is it lunch yet because I'm starving!"

The soon drifted of with the crowds heading towards the cafeteria.

The whole time they were queuing for their food Xander was nervously rabbling.

"Soo Buffster…what do you do for fun? If you have fun that is….so no offence if you don't have fun…erm having fun…"

She smiled at him "The usual."

"And that would be?"

"Well I dunno hanging with my friends…shopping…going out with cute boys….normal teenage stuff!" She lied.

In honesty she wasn't sure if she had ever done any of the normal teenage stuff. Through the young years she was too busy finding Angel and moving around and as she got older her whole life was about saving for college. She didn't regret a thing though….it had made her the person she was today.

"He's just nervous because apparently all the guys wanted to sit next to the 'hot new girl' for lunch and he gets to," Willow whispered in her ear.

'Hot?' Buffy thought to herself. She had never been called hot before in her life.

They soon made it through the food but Buffy wasn't impressed with what she saw.

"They actually make you eat this gunk?" she asked receiving a glare from one of the dinner ladies.

"Unfortunately yes," Willow replied. "Just be thankful it isn't the meat surprise."

Buffy was sure she didn't want to know what was inside that.

They soon sat down and attempted to eat what they called food.

The whole time they were in the cafeteria she could feel someone's eyes boring into her back. She knew who it was and it felt like daggers were piercing her skin.

She sighed. "I'm just going to go to the library. I'll meet you guys in gym."

As she walked past a particular table everyone started sniggering at her.

She didn't know why but she was sure it had something to do with Angel.

After getting slightly lost again she soon found the library and went in. It was fairly dark and old looking for such a new school but Buffy kinda liked it.

"Can I help you?" A voice spoke.

She looked over to see a fairly old guy wearing glasses.

"I think so. I'm Buffy I'm new…I came to get some books."

"Ah yes, of course. I'll just get them for you. Won't be a sec!" he said.

He quickly returned with her books. "So how are you finding things?"

"It's good. Just getting used to everything." She said smiling at him. He seemed nice.

"Sorry I never introduced myself. I'm Giles the librarian. Angelus's dad if you've met him."

"Erm…no cant say I have." Buffy lied. "Gotta go gong to be late for class."

And with that she dashed off.

_**Special thanks to **_**BloodyPasion **_**and **_**ba2006!**

**Thanks so much guys!!**

**You soooo want to write a couple of words and make a girl very happy….pretty please?**

**x**


	13. Forever is a Long Time

_Angel has a dad? _Buffy thought to herself. She just wasn't sure if Giles was Angel's real dad or his adoptive one. She had never stopped wondering what had happened to Angel since she had seen her last. They had promised each other forever.

Forever friendship

Forever love

Forever each other.

It was supposed to be him and her forever against the world and eventually together in a forever home. But things don't always work out as they plan. Forever is a long time after all.

_Flashback_

Buffy had been trying to find Angel for weeks. His cell phone was always off and she didn't have an inkling on where he could be. He hadn't even told her anyone had visited the foster home other than fostered him. Normally anytime someone walked into the foster home he would ring her immediately with the details, but this time nada.

'Angel, please find me.' she prayed.

Buffy had ran away from her foster home 2 weeks ago and had immediately started searching for Angel. As unglamorous as living off the streets was Buffy was used to it. She found it easy to survive and find enough food and shelter normally. But this time she was desperate to find Angel and that was all that mattered.

It took one more week for Buffy to start getting weak. She hadn't been eating properly and now that it had been snowing she struggled to find shelter and keep warm.

It was a week later when she was wondering around searching bins for food one night when she noticed some twinkly lights from a window. She crept quietly over and peered through the window. Inside she could see the flashing lights were in fact a Christmas tree and she was now viewing a small family enjoying their Christmas dinner. Buffy was amazed she hadn't noticed it was Christmas. She had been so preoccupied with finding Angel that the world had flew past her and she was less than a mere ghost, at least a ghost would observe. She had seen nothing the last few weeks.

Buffy moved nearer to get a close look and there he was.

Her Angel.

He was smiling and laughing with what must have been his foster family.

She had never felt so hurt, betrayed or angry in all of her life. Being unwanted by foster families was nothing compared to being unwanted by your best friend.

_While she slept on the cold floor he was tucked up in a nice warm bed._

_While she foraged for food in bins he was sat down eating a whole turkey._

_While she had no one he had a family._

_And while she had been spending weeks trying to find him he had obviously not cared to find her._

These were the thoughts running through Buffy's mind whilst she dragged herself away from the house and collapsed in an alley way to cry.

She laid in the alley way for 2 nights when they found her half starved and when she recovered she went home with a foster family and never out a foot wrong. What's the point in running if there is no one to run to?

/End flashback/

Buffy headed to her History class late because she had yet to find her way around campus.

As she walked in everyone stopped to look at her. His included.

_Does he have to be everywhere I am?_ She thought.

There was something different this time however. His eyes weren't cold and full of hate. They showed pity and maybe a little bit of hurt.

'_He can show all the hurt he likes. He's the one that left me.' _She thought. And with that she took the empty seat and forced herself to keep her eyes on the professor the entire lecture.


End file.
